Shatner on Star Trek XI: 'He's In It. I'm Not In It.'

Much to his chagrin, William Shatner (Kirk) revealed that he will not be in the upcoming Star Trek movie directed by J.J. Abrams, though his friend and former co-star Leonard Nimoy (Spock) will appear.

"I said, 'Leonard, have you heard?' He said, 'Yes, I have...I've read the script,'" Shatner explained in video on his web site. "I said, 'Is it a good script?' He said, 'Yeah.' I said, 'Am I in it?' And there was a pause. He said no. And then he began to laugh."

Though Shatner joked that Star Trek was forty years old and people should forget about it, he indicated that he was very disappointed. Previously he had spoken of having met with Abrams and looking forward to making an appearance in the movie. "I went through the phone as I grabbed him by the throat," he joked, though he conceded, "[Nimoy]'s in it. I'm not in it." He joked that he and Nimoy were not such good friends that Nimoy would refuse to do a role unless Shatner was cast as well.

In a separate interview clip from KABC in Los Angeles, Shatner reflected on conventions and his relationships with his other co-stars. "It's standing in front of a home audience and everything you say is amusing, and you begin to think that you really know what you're doing," he said of appearances before Star Trek fans, noting that it isn't like that everywhere.

Asked whether his castmates were as receptive, Shatner said, "I'm beloved by the cast! Though there were a few people who didn't know they loved me."